Author Topic: Washing machine recommendations...  (Read 13438 times)

Washing machine recommendations...
« on: 20 January, 2011, 07:07:17 pm »
We've certainly been here before, but not for a while (to my recollection).

Today's 30°C wash resulted in my house and laundry stinking of burnt rubber  :sick:.
The culprit is an inherited (in 2003, when I moved in) Candy Aquaviva 1000 (which could be 10 or  more years old), which has actually done an OK job for the last seven or so years - for a machine which to all intents and purposes was 'free'.
I have no intention of either investigating the problem or repairing said Candy machine.

Single occupancy household, no heavy duty use.
1 wash per week, occasionally a second one.
Requirement for a 30°C wash.
Requirement for a bog standard wash.
Requirement for a hot / linen wash.
That's about it.
Don't need any other toys with bells and whistles.

I'm vacillating between a bargain John Lewis Own Brand machine (as I've heard they're apparently more than OK), and a Miele (as I am big on the longevity thing).
Opposite ends of the spectrum, I know.

What does the panel think?


microphonie

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #1 on: 20 January, 2011, 07:16:56 pm »
Never had a problem with my large capacity LG in the almost 9 yrs I've had it (bought from John Lewis for an extra year of free guarantee iirc)

I'm in the same situation as you too - single, ~3 washes per fortnight on average.

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #2 on: 20 January, 2011, 07:25:05 pm »
As far as I can make out extra features (principally programs) start to add significantly to the cost of a machine. I think the basic bones of the effectiveness of the wash remain unchanged. So, a Miele with all the knobs and whistles is pricey, but their basic machine with the most limited range of wash options is quite a bit cheaper, and shouldn't be any less reliable (in fact, probably more so).

We've got a 14 year old Siemens that must be running four or five washes a week. In all that time I have had to de-gunk it twice (hardly the machine's failt) and the cover for the soap drawer falls off. Otherwise it has performed faultlessly.

(What a daft thing to say.)
Rust never sleeps

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #3 on: 20 January, 2011, 07:54:05 pm »
Pretty sure ours is a Bosch  -  at the time we bought it (6 years ago ?) it was one of the more reliable ones (I think Siemens might have been the other we considered).

We *have* had someone out to look at it once...which IIRC was the lint filter being a bit full up ! (Had some bizarre side-effects which looked like a fault). So I make sure I clean it from time to time, whereas the OH, I suspect, forgets, judging by the state it's usually in when I do it.


Pancho

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #4 on: 20 January, 2011, 07:56:19 pm »
Meile for white goods. Go for max energy efficiency and min specification.

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #5 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:02:10 pm »
We bought a Bosch Exxcell (something like that) about five years or more back.   It is a relatively basic machine with a max 1200 rpm spin speed.   We avoided the models with electronic displays and buttons instead of a rotary programme control.   It is yet to miss a beat.   

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #6 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:07:25 pm »
Me likey these responses.

More please.

Likely as not, I'm going to have to part company with the folding in the next 24 / 48 hrs.

Any further input by the esteemed forumites is only to be encouraged.  :)

EDIT - How can I rid my home of this foul smell?  >:(

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #7 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:28:11 pm »
Our Miele (a couple of years old) impresses most by its quietness.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

hellymedic

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #8 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:53:42 pm »
Miele
That is all.

Charlotte

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #9 on: 20 January, 2011, 08:55:08 pm »
We have an AEG Electolux 16850 .

It's a washer dryer and when we bought it a year ago, it was because it was the Which? top doggie in their tests.  It's not a cheapie, but you get what you pay for with white goods, I think.

We hardly ever use the dryer bit, but unlike washer dryers I've had in the past it *really* works.
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Pancho

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #10 on: 20 January, 2011, 09:04:49 pm »
Dryers should be given the boot for the sake of the planet.

We've been without one[1] for a year or so and the chief laundry maid tells me she's not missed it.

[1] Our (only non-Miele) machine combusted my clothes and was replaced with a washing line and rack thing.

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #11 on: 20 January, 2011, 09:08:44 pm »
Miele
That is all.

+1.  12 years, 2 of us + plenty of fetid, hairy horse kit, still working perfectly.


Kim

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #12 on: 20 January, 2011, 09:43:42 pm »
I aspire to be able to afford/justify:

http://www.iseappliances.co.uk/

Realistically, I'll be doing the standard engineer thing of keeping old crap running well beyond its sane lifetime.

rr

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #13 on: 20 January, 2011, 10:38:24 pm »
Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #14 on: 20 January, 2011, 10:39:29 pm »
Our Bosch has been very good, except that it drives you potty by beeping at intervals for no good reason when a cycle has finished. It's supposed to do that - it's nagging you to empty it - but it's a real pain.

Our previous Electrolux machines were good too.

Tim Hall

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #15 on: 20 January, 2011, 10:40:24 pm »
I aspire to be able to afford/justify:

http://www.iseappliances.co.uk/

We have done, about 3 years ago.I like the "fix it, don't bin it" philosophy.  At the time they had 5 year and 10 year guarantee  models. I think ours is the 5 year.

Quote
Realistically, I'll be doing the standard engineer thing of keeping old crap running well beyond its sane lifetime.
Hurrah for l33t mending skillz.


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Biggsy

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #16 on: 20 January, 2011, 10:42:13 pm »
Bosch.

(And they don't all beep more than you want them to).
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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #17 on: 20 January, 2011, 10:54:56 pm »
Ok, I'm a tw*t  :-[

I got back home and checked, it's actually an AEG  - the other machine we'd considered at the time was a Bosch - the AEG's also a little beeptastic at times.
ISTR the reviews seemed to be similar re reliability...


rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #18 on: 21 January, 2011, 06:52:33 am »
We need the dryer, sadly; it's just not possible to dry stuff in our garden from October to March due to a lack of light.  It was possible one winter, between them cutting down the big trees next door and then building a load of 3-storey houses  >:(  Draping it eound the house is very unhealthy and also uses energy (the evaporation chills the room, which requires more heating, and then there's the open windows).  However, my cheap Candy dryer has been going for 12 years now as it's a very simple device.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Pancho

  • لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #19 on: 21 January, 2011, 07:19:37 am »
We dry indoors using a rack contraption when it's too wet/dark outside. This is rigged up in the room with the boiler so it's never freezing in there. I suppose, if we  did have an efficient boiler this wouldn't work.

I also suppose that indoor drying might be good for the pocket (using cheaper gas for the central heating) but poorer for the environment (theoretically, you could have your drier run on renewable sourced 'leccy).

redshift

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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #20 on: 21 January, 2011, 08:43:27 am »
Miele here too.  Quiet (hardly any spin noise, no beeps).  All of your required programmes are present, plus a 'quick wash' setting, variable spin etc.  We dry outside, indoors if wet...
L
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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #21 on: 21 January, 2011, 09:53:25 am »
We bought a Bosch Exxcell (something like that) about five years or more back.   It is a relatively basic machine with a max 1200 rpm spin speed.   We avoided the models with electronic displays and buttons instead of a rotary programme control.   It is yet to miss a beat.   

And if it's anything like ours, washes things really well - noticeably better than the Hoover machine it replaced.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #22 on: 21 January, 2011, 10:57:28 am »
You'll probably find John Lewis's appliances are built by Bosch, so the cost saving is on the marketing rather than the actual product.

Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #23 on: 21 January, 2011, 11:40:51 am »
Bosch - 10 years, 2 babies run 5 or 6 times a week, moved house 3 times - the only attention it has needed was new brushes last year.
We had a Bosch for 7 years before it died. If it hadn't been badly mistreated (Mrs B has never really got the hang of not overloading, & she wouldn't accept that a single heavy bath mat was not a suitable load until the machine refused to wash it) I suspect it'd still have many years life left.
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Re: Washing machine recommendations...
« Reply #24 on: 21 January, 2011, 11:54:43 am »
You'll probably find John Lewis's appliances are built by Bosch, so the cost saving is on the marketing rather than the actual product.

They come out of the Zanussi/Electrolux/AEG factory, and I'm led to believe they are of a higher spec. rather than just being re-badged.
Online order was placed this morning. I forgot to tick the box which would've meant that for £9.00 John Lewis would dispose of my old machine. A phone call followed during which John Lewis said they'd take away the old machine FOC as a goodwill gesture.

Thanks peeps, for your collective wisdom.  :)